Dante’s attention was fixated on the digital clock plastered in the corner of his field of vision, and as soon as the numbers changed to 17:00, he began moving. First, he peeled the rubber glove off his hands, then he ripped the apron off his body.
[Ember: Your shift has ended. Good job!]
The notification appeared just as he turned toward the exit, but he simply swiped it away with a thought. Freedom was calling for him. He was finally going to leave the confines of that demon-infested hell, having survived the grueling nine hours of continuous torture for the third time.
Unfortunately, this world was cruel, and a humble dishwasher didn’t have the power to go against it.
Just as he reached the door, someone stepped forward and blocked his way. Short, fat, and bald. Dante didn’t believe in god, but looking at the man standing in front of him, he couldn’t help but rethink his belief.
Maybe god does exist after all, and if that’s truly the case, then he certainly despises this man, having nerfed him three times then added a big nose on top, as if to say it wasn’t enough.
"Where the hell do you think you’re going?" The short, fat goblin asked, his already ugly face twisting into an even uglier expression.
Seriously. Modern science should have made it impossible for someone to be this horrendous, but for some reason, this pale goblin still retained a face not even his mother could love.
The fat only made it worse. Dante liked to think he had nothing against big people, but after meeting two of the most despicable fatties in the world, he wasn’t so sure anymore.
Trying his best to maintain a neutral expression, Dante looked the man in the eyes and said, "My shift is over, so-"
"How many times do I have to tell you!?" The pale goblin raised his voice. "Your shift ends when I tell you!"
His name was Ben Wire, and he was the staff supervisor in the Blue Ember’s second restaurant. As if a surveillance app wasn’t enough, the hotel management decided that someone had to always be on site to ensure the lowly employees never do anything that might anger their mighty employers, and apparently, that included leaving once one’s shift had ended.
"Again with this?" Dante frowned.
"I will say it as many times as I need!" The fat goblin pointed a finger at him. "You don’t get to walk away until I say so! Now get back to your post before I-"
"Fire me?" Now it was Dante’s turn to interrupt. "For leaving on time? Go ahead. Try it." The corners of his mouth curled up in a taunting smirk. "A good lawsuit will pay an entire year’s salary, you know."
One of the abilities the fat goblin had was one that allowed him to change his color. One moment he was white, the next one he was blood red. As much as he wanted to see him painted with real blood, Dante had to be satisfied with this much.
"Now, how about you get out of my way before I report you for harassment? And just to be clear, I have been recording this conversation from the start."
Once again, the fat goblin changed color, becoming sickly pale. Employers might be nothing more than glorified slave owners, but people nowadays weren’t so ignorant that they would just submit to the chains. Everyone knew their rights, and a quick online search was all it took to know what an employer can and can’t do.
Dante watched as the insufferable monster moved aside to let him pass, grumbling something under his breath the entire time. As the door opened, the fat goblin threw in a final threat.
"You won’t get anywhere !" He said. "You’ll be washing dishes for the rest of your life!"
Not bothering to turn back or reply, Dante waved his hand and walked out.
[Now that three days have passed, I can say with utmost certainty that I understand why no one wants to work such jobs.]
Volcan decided to voice his opinion just as they hit the road. Night had a habit of starting its shifts earlier the closer winter got. The veil of darkness was spreading already, and the temperature dropped noticeably with each passing minute.
Dante forwent wearing his helmet, choosing to enjoy the cold breeze as he made his way home. After a moment of thought, he replied to the AI in his head.
’That’s just how things are.’
Though his hatred for the system burned stronger than ever, Dante had long since accepted that this is just how things work. Whoever has the power decides the rules, and in this situation, people whose only choice is to wash dishes get no say in anything.
Though labor laws supposedly exist to protect workers, nowadays they are nothing more than fancy words on an irrelevant paper. He might have talked big earlier, but there was always the chance of the hotel management deciding to make him disappear instead of paying him good money to drop a lawsuit.
[I heard there is a protest planned to take place a couple of days from now.] Volcan said. [Its purpose is to demand improvements to the working conditions across many industries. Maybe this will have a positive impact on your current occupation as well.]
’Remember when I told you that no one would bother fixing the legal system?’ Dante asked after a moment of thought.
’It will be just like that in this case.’ Dante gave a mental scoff. ’You can go ahead and check history. Such protests rarely if ever work.’
No matter how much the slaves cry, all they will ever get is what their masters are willing to give out. Peaceful protests are nothing but a charade intended to make people believe they’re doing something when nothing will change unless some weapons are involved.
The Raven hummed gently on the relatively empty road. As he entered a long, straight path, Dante lost a battle of wills against his desire to yawn. His eyes were starting to feel itchy, too.
’I can’t wait to get some sleep...’
[It seems that you are suffering from severe mental exhaustion.]
Volcan wasn’t the only one who had an epiphany. Now that he worked a normal job for once, Dante had one more reason for not wanting to get one of those ever again. To put it simply, he wasn’t being paid enough to put up with the physical, mental, and spiritual toll of working a normal job demands.
Who knew that washing dishes could be such a soul sucking job. He would rather go around hunting gangsters than spend a single minute with that cursed sponge in his hand, and that was exactly what he would have done if not for the whole thing being a part of another job.
’Maybe I should just snatch the damned dagger and put an end to this...’ Dante thought aloud.
[I am ready whenever you are.] Volcan replied.
After considering the matter for a few more minutes, Dante closed his eyes and sighed.
’Alright. Tomorrow, we will use 8-3 to get a map.’ He thought, smiling as his body shed some of today’s stress. ’We still have to work within Victor’s plan, but in case things went wrong, we will just go in and get things done ourselves.’